Last Wednesday, fifty CFOs gathered at Villa Jongerius in Utrecht, the Netherlands, for the Boardtalk organised by Ebbinge together with the Impact Economy Foundation. The central question of the morning: beyond financial profit, what is the total societal value your organisation creates? And even more importantly: how do you take the lead as a CFO, or rather, as a Chief Value Officer (CVO)?
CVOs are setting a new standard
A Chief Value Officer (CVO) is the next evolution of the CFO role. Instead of focusing solely on financial performance, the CVO is steering the organisation towards integrated value creation: financial, social, and environmental. The role is expanding rapidly as companies face economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability, and ecological limits.
In the panel, Lodewijk Lockefeer (CFO CoreDux) captured this shift sharply:
“Seize every discussion about results by placing your organisation’s scores on sustainability, circularity, footprint and social performance alongside the financials. You are the authority on this, so use that authority creatively and stay the course.”
Jan Huij, CFO of Tony’s Chocolonely and winner of the 2023 CVO Award, illustrated how this shift works in practice. At Tony’s, value creation is not primarily about selling chocolate; it is about achieving a living income for cocoa farmers and addressing child labour and deforestation. Steering towards these impact goals, and shaping the broader supply chain, is central to his role as CVO.
Impact requires investment and allies
Creating impact requires resources and strong coalitions. Werner Schouten (Impact Economy Foundation) shared the example of Volvo’s electric buses: the commercial business case only became viable once Dutch municipalities agreed to co-invest, recognising societal benefits such as cleaner air, reduced noise and more comfortable public transport.
Participants agreed that systemic change is essential. With the Dutch government formation approaching, CFOs discussed policy measures that could make impact genuinely profitable, including:
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profit taxation based on actual profit (True Profit);
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interest rates that reward positive societal impact;
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capitalising impact investments rather than treating them as costs;
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meaningful pricing of emissions;
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and a clear sustainability label for companies committed to long-term value, similar to energy labels for homes.
A growing CVO community
As Vincent Timmers (partner at Ebbinge) noted: “It all starts with leadership. A successful CVO has a dream centred on societal value, the courage to consistently place that dream on the agenda, and the execution power to make it happen.”
The Boardtalk demonstrated that the transition to an impact economy is gaining momentum in the Netherlands. Through the True Profits Alliance, frontrunners are working on policies that make impact profitable. The CVO community is expanding quickly, fostering collaboration and leadership for sustainable competitiveness.
Our thanks to keynote speaker Jan Huij and the panel, Lodewijk Lockefeer (CoreDux), Boele de Jong (The Vegetarian Butcher Collective) and Jasper de Wit (Haskoning), for their candid reflections and inspiration.
Do you know a CFO who is operating as a CVO? Keep an eye on our website, nominations for the 2026 award start in March.
Learn more about the True Profits Alliance.
